Texas receiver Mike Davis attempts to haul in a pass as he's hit by UCLA's Aaron Hester. The Longhorns are likely on the move, and their anticipated flight from the Big 12 could signal the end of the league.

Texas receiver Mike Davis attempts to haul in a pass as he's hit by UCLA's Aaron Hester. The Longhorns are likely on the move, and their anticipated flight from the Big 12 could signal the end of the league.

Photo: Bret Hartman/Associated Press

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Despite receiving approval to take action regarding UT’s conference alignment, school president Bill Powers said remaining in the Big 12 remains a possibility.

Despite receiving approval to take action regarding UT’s conference alignment, school president Bill Powers said remaining in the Big 12 remains a possibility.

Photo: Jack Plunkett/Associated Press

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University of Texas president Bill Powers (second from right) and chancellor Francisco Cigarroa (second from left) take part in a teleconference with the University System Board of Regents to discuss conference realignment, in Austin on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. The board voted unanimously to give Powers the authority to move Texas from the Big 12 to another conference.

University of Texas president Bill Powers (second from right) and chancellor Francisco Cigarroa (second from left) take part in a teleconference with the University System Board of Regents to discuss conference

AUSTIN — Regents at Texas and Oklahoma on Monday authorized their presidents to make decisions and take action regarding each school's conference alignment options, which include a potential move with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12.

Although both UT president Bill Powers and OU president David Boren said remaining in the Big 12 remains a possibility, Boren said “the status quo is certainly not stable.”

“I would say that the principal focus, beyond the Big 12 itself — which is still a focus for us — is the Pac-12,” Boren said.

Powers declined to take questions after UT's regents meeting, during which he asked the board for permission to “be able to explore options and have the authority to make decisions with respect to this, including continued participation in the Big 12.”

The board unanimously approved a motion allowing Powers “to apply for, to negotiate and to execute appropriate documents related to a change in conference membership,” with the caveat that any league change must be ratified by the regents.

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None of the four Big 12 schools have officially applied for membership in the Pac-12, which was close to adding them last summer and could be looking to expand after the ACC accepted Pittsburgh and Syracuse as its 13th and 14th members Sunday.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott suggested Saturday that his league would not want to be left behind if other major conferences moved beyond a dozen teams each.

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That appears to be the trend, as Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive said publicly last week that he remains hopeful that his league will soon add Texas A&M as its 13th member.

Even if UT, OU, Tech and OSU (which scheduled a regents meeting Wednesday) decide to pursue the Pac-12 option, their entry would not be automatic. Any expansion would require approval from Pac-12 presidents, and a person familiar with the conference discussions said Scott does not currently have the votes to add the Big 12 teams, although that could change.

Also, UT would need to find a way to make its Longhorn Network fit into the framework of the Pac-12's regional TV networks and equal revenue-sharing format. Scott said his conference has worked through “challenging things” with ESPN, which owns and operates LHN.

But negotiations on that front are far from over.

Boren addressed a question about LHN by saying OU is “for a level playing field,” but he stopped short of saying the Sooners would not want to stay affiliated with UT if it keeps its network.

“I think we're always stronger when Texas and Oklahoma move together,” Boren said. “We're listening with respect to each other, at this point in time. It's too early to tell whether we'll make a common decision or not.”

The departure of four schools to the Pac-12 and A&M to the SEC would leave the Big 12 with just five remaining members, but commissioner Dan Beebe released a statement Monday saying, “the case for the Big 12 conference continues to be as strong today for all of our current members as it was last year.”

“We continue to apply all effort and resources toward assuring our members that maintaining the Big 12 is in the best interest for their institutions,” Beebe said in the statement.

A person familiar with the discussions said representatives of the Big East — which already has lost Syracuse and Pittsburgh and could lose more — called Beebe on Sunday to discuss merging the five remaining Big 12 schools with those still in the Big East and possibly Houston, BYU and Air Force.

TCU, scheduled to join the Big East next year, would be part of that plan.

Chris Del Conte, the Horned Frogs' athletic director, released a statement saying, “TCU has never been positioned better on the collegiate athletics landscape” and that the school is “actively engaged in conversations with colleagues across the country to protect TCU's best interests.”

Although reports of change swirled Monday, some still were pushing hard for the status quo.

UT football coach Mack Brown cautioned during the Big 12's weekly media teleconference that sprawling superconferences would be a “burden” on families hoping to travel to games.

“As much as we talk about money, as much as we talk about college football, as much as we talk about realignment, as much as we talk about great games, playoffs and all that stuff, we better go back and make sure that we're taking care of the players and that the players and the high school coaches are always considered in the equation,” Brown said.

Former Gov. Mark White, a Baylor alumnus, said Monday that he thinks “most people in (Oklahoma), as in Texas, don't want any changes that will lead to the dissolution of the Big 12.”

“What really bothers me,” said McLane, also a Baylor alumnus, “is these great institutions are charged with teaching young people values and integrity and working through problems, and they're making rapid-fire decisions without really looking at the commitments they had made to the conferences. It's setting a bad moral example for young people.”